Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption
by TooEarlytoCare
Summary: "Take a look at him, he's a lost cause." Clarke/Bellamy. Slightly OOC.
1. Chapter 1

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Bellamy stood at the edge of a campfire, turning a knife over and over in his hands. He replayed everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. All the things he'd said, all the things he'd done as well as those he hadn't been able to do.

_Take a look at him, he's a lost cause._

Would she have tried so hard to save a wounded prisoner if it had been someone else? If it had been Bellamy? There were few things on Earth or in space Bellamy Blake was afraid of, but knowing Clarke could be capable of choosing not to save him was one of them.

_You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do._

He'd sat beside Atom wondering how he was going to do what had to be done. And she had appeared, like an angel of peaceful death and his only salvation from killing his friend. She did have the guts to make the hard choices. And someday she could choose that he wasn't worth saving. He knew deep down his biggest fear was her being able to walk away from him without looking back.

He was a lost cause and they both knew it. He saw it in her eyes when she tried to tell him they needed the wristbands. He saw it when he held her above the spear pit. She didn't think he would save her, that he had enough good in him to care. But care he did. God, he cared what Clarke thought of him and that was going to be the real death of him on this godforsaken planet.

"Are you okay?" His head snapped up and out of his thoughts when he heard her voice. She'd appeared suddenly like she had before. He looked at her face and realized she actually cared about his answer to her question, she cared how he was. Why?

"Doesn't Jasper need you, Doc?"

She walked closer to the fire and stood looking up at him, the fire and moon shining on her hair and face. "Jasper is doing much better, in case you were wondering. And I'm no more a doctor than you are a leader."

Her response shook him. "Well, aren't you one for kicking a guy when he's down." It was a statement, not a question. He knew just what she thought of him.

Her eyes dropped to the fire and then came back to his with a guilty look. "I'm sorry, Bellamy. Truly. I know today was a hard day for you. I'm sure Atom was a good friend to you."

"It's fine, Angel. I should be thanking you for your help. You have more…strength than I gave you credit for."

He'd called her Angel, not Princess. He must be losing it. She stepped closer to him anyway and placed her hand on his arm. He was floored as he looked down at the remarkable woman in front of him. "You're the strongest person I know, Bellamy. And the most foolish most of the time. You're not afraid of anything. I envy that."

"I can tell you one thing I'm afraid of."

"What's th-?"

Her question was cut off as his lips suddenly touched hers, fierce but gentle at the same time. He hadn't expected her to push him away but he hadn't expected her to respond so quickly either. Her arms wound up and around his neck, not an easy task with his height. He cupped her hip with one hand while the other cradled the back of her head.

They both pulled back from the kiss gasping for air, but didn't pull away from each other. He smirked as he looked down at her and said, "I was afraid I was a lost cause." The vulnerability in his voice belied the easy expression decorating his features. Clarke knew he was asking for confirmation of something, of what she didn't know. She tried to assure him the best she could.

"No, Bellamy. You're not lost, I think you're very much found."

The forwardness of her implicit message of ownership surprised him, but it didn't chafe against his callous nature like he thought it would. She seemed to be saying what he never thought he'd hear, she wanted to be near him.

Maybe all a lost cause needed for redemption was an angel.


	2. Chapter 2

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews and kind words, they're much appreciated! I'm sorry if the chapters seem a bit short. I've written a lot of one-shots. But there may be longer ones coming. I've changed the rating to T for some language and mention of sexy situations. I won't see tonight's episode until tomorrow so the story going forward will be as if all that hasn't previewed hasn't happened. Also, the very last bit of the last episode didn't happen either. I'm being vague to avoid spoilers. Carry on. And thanks again!

Chapter 2:

The next morning Clarke woke up a little ways from the main camp next to a pile of ashes where the campfire had been. She was wrapped up in Bellamy Blake. Literally. Her right side was tucked into him and her rested on his left shoulder. Her left hand lay on his chest with his resting on in a loose, yet protective grip. She was afraid to move for fear of waking him and facing the reality of their unlikely pairing. She knew a hasty exit was advisable, if not necessary, and tensed to move away.

"Where do you think you're going, Angel?"

Her eyes flew up to meet his and she gasped at the sleepy intensity there. She wasn't deterred though. She made to move and quickly disentangled herself before he could stop her.

"Come back here, Clarke."

"Bellamy, I need to check on Jasper. Don't you need to mind to your minions?"

Her dismissal made his hackles rise. He looked confused and offended as he sat up and asked, "What's with the attitude? Didn't you sleep well?"

The smugness of his tone made her angry, which was better than when she felt afraid of what was happening between them. "I don't have an attitude. And if I did, you wouldn't have a say in it anyway."

Bellamy's base instincts of self-preservation and pride decided to kick in at full force in that moment. "Who said I wanted a say, Princess? What makes you so damn high and mighty? So damn special?" But he knew what made her special. He was too aware of exactly how special she was. To the camp, to him.

His words hit their intended target. Before she was simply angry at him, now she was a blonde wisp of tightly-wound fury. "Screw you, Bellamy Blake. I never asked to be anybody's damn princess or angel. And certainly not yours."

"Screw me? Last night was a clear indication of where you stand on that. You, Clarke Griffin, are a tease."

She knew he was lying. He hadn't pushed her to do anything and she hadn't refused. They had only looked at the stars and held each other. But if that wasn't enough for him, she'd rather find out now than later. She was relieved, really.

But he was baiting her. And it worked. Relief didn't stop her from reaching out and slapping him before she walked away.

"This isn't over, Clarke. Far from it."

She stopped to turn back and looked at him. When she spoke, a sadness he hadn't heard before in her voice shook him.

"No, Bellamy. It never started."


	3. Chapter 3

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Author's Note: Again, thank you so much for all the kind reviews, the follows and the favorites. It's nice to know you like what you're reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 3:

Later in the day, Bellamy surveyed the camp, still reeling from the dramatic turn of events. Between Atom's death and gaining Clarke's affection to losing it, he was exhausted. People in the camp were grumbling, but that was nothing new. He certainly hadn't woken up on the right side of the bed this morning. What was he thinking? He never meant to hurt her, but when she implied that he had minions, like he was a maniacal despot or something, he saw red. He wanted her to see the best in him and had gone and shown her the worst.

A tease? He hadn't even tried anything with her, hadn't needed to. At least not yet. He was thankful for her kiss. Now she would never let him touch her again. He felt like a complete fool.

His pity party was short-lived as he was quickly interrupted by the realities of Earth 97 years after a radiation disaster. Murphy approached cautiously, sensing the dark-haired man's foul mood.

"Bellamy, we have a problem."

Bellamy chuckled ruefully as he asked, "When do we not?"

"Fair enough. But this is different. People are getting sick and we don't know why."

"What are you talking about?"

"Paleness, nausea, passing out."

Bellamy peppered the younger man with questions. "Is it food-related? Something in the water? If it's this bad, why are you just telling me now? Have you sent the ill to see Clarke to find out what's causing it?"

Murphy didn't miss the last question's implicit trust in Clarke's abilities.

"We don't know the cause, just that it started in the evening yesterday. And we couldn't find you this morning to tell you. Or Clarke for that matter."

Bellamy avoided making eye contact then and moved to go check on the sick ones. "Find Clarke and Octavia, tell them to meet me at the crash site if they're not already there."

The illness moved rapidly, striking first two, then five people a day. Days passed and soon Bellamy couldn't tell the sick from the healthy because of the worried and scared looks on everyone's faces. He tried to avoid Clarke, but the situation made it impossible. He needed to know if she could fix this.

"What's the number?"

"Forty now, maybe more since this morning."

"Do we know what's causing it yet?"

Clarke could see that the stress was weighing on him, wearing him down. She knew he was terrified Octavia would be the next to fall victim to the mystery illness. She selfishly couldn't stop herself from wondering if he would be as concerned about her. She shook that awful thought from her mind and answered him.

"No idea. So far no one's died, but people have started showing advanced symptoms. Diarrhea, blood in the urine and feces. Vomiting, stomach cramps, sweats, fevers. It's only a matter of time before the worst-off start dying from malnutrition or dehydration."

"And it's nothing in the food? You're sure?" She gave him a look of annoyance at his doubt in her honesty."

"We threw everything out when the first group got sick. All the new food and water has been carefully checked. The healthy have all eaten it and only a few have then started to show symptoms."

"What is it then?"

"Bellamy, I don't know! Don't you think I would tell you if I did?"

"Would you?" His expression dared her to lie and she felt shocked to hear him ask her such a question.

"Of course! I'm not the one who wants the Ark to die. I want everyone else to be able to come down here, too. Us dying of an unknown food-borne pathogen isn't going to accomplish that."

His shoulders sagged and he sat down on the table where Jasper had laid just a few weeks before. His long legs began swinging back and forth as he tried to think of any way to make this better.

Clarke couldn't help but be drawn to him. He looked so helpless, so different from his usual steely self. Before she could stop herself, she was standing between his legs pressing herself into the table as she gave him what began as an unreciprocated hug. They hadn't touched since that night, had barely spoken to each other in the weeks since. When she felt his arms hesitate then wrap her up, she spoke.

"It's going to be alright. We'll figure this out, I promise."

She could barely hear him when he softly whispered, "We?" against her hair. He felt her nod and asked, "Can we figure 'us' out, too?"

She pulled back to look at him, making sure she had heard right. "What 'us?' I thought you hated me."

He pulled her back to his chest, sighing. "I never hated you. When you tried to leave that morning and made the minion comment, I thought you were regretting what we did. I thought…I thought you were rejecting me."

She realized how hard that was for him to admit. She pulled back again to look at his face, wanting to make sure he heard her.

"Bellamy, I didn't regret it. It was more than I could handle at that moment, this sudden, amazing connection. It scared me. You scared me."

His eyes lit up when she said "amazing," but the excitement died when he heard her say she was afraid of him. That's the last thing he wanted. He tried to make her understand why he reacted the way he did.

"Like I told before, Clarke, being with you, kissing you, doesn't scare me. It makes me feel alive. You walking away terrifies me though."

Clarity dawned on her and she held him close again.

"I'm sorry for how I acted."

She smiled into his shoulder, she was probably one of the very few people who had ever heard Bellamy Blake apologize for anything.

"So am I."

They stood in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "I'm so glad we cleared that up." He pulled back from the hug to kiss her as she started to say something.

"So am—"

She didn't finish before her eyes suddenly rolled back and she passed out, prompting Bellamy to catch her before she hit the table or floor.


	4. Chapter 4

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: Thank you again for reading and reviewing/following/favoriting! As a reminder, this story diverts from the show in that Wells is alive and that Clarke/Finn scene did not happen. This was originally only going to be about 5 chapters, but I've decided to extend it and write more chapters for it. And I've tried to make the chapters a bit longer, as that seems to be a common request. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4:

Clarke woke up a few minutes later to hear Bellamy shouting to Octavia, Finn, Monty, Jasper, and Wells. He had laid Clarke on the table and put a cool cloth on her forehead. She lay there trying to piece together what had just happened as Bellamy gathered her friends within the makeshift clinic. He spoke before she had to think too hard to remember how she'd gotten on the table.

"You five are going to find out what's causing this sickness. And you're going to do it now."

All of them looked taken aback at the resolute tone of voice in the order. Finn was the first to break the following silence. "What makes you think we can do that?"

"Because now you have an added incentive."

"What's that?"

"Clarke is sick. She just passed out in my arms. I didn't announce it to the camp because I didn't want to incite a panic when they find out our only healer is sick, too."

Octavia spoke next. "Not to make light of the situation, brother dear, but what were you and Clarke doing in here before she passed out? 'In your arms' as you put it? You two have been particularly prickly to each other for the past few weeks."

Bellamy nearly growled at his sister's unwelcome precociousness at a time like this. "If you must know, Octavia, Clarke and I are—"

"Hey! Can someone get me some water, please?" They all jumped at the sound of Clarke's voice, strained and weak as she struggled to sit up.

Wells, Jasper and Monty went to get fresh water sensing the tension in room while Finn and Octavia stood on either side of the table by Clarke gently telling her to stay lying down. Bellamy resolutely stationed himself by her feet, where his face held an expression of question and hurt.

Octavia asked Clarke, "How are you feeling?"

"Weird. I've never passed out before." Clarke again struggled to sit up as the others came back with water for her.

"You should rest," Jasper admonished, trying to make sure the girl that saved his life didn't lose hers.

Clarke drank the water slowly before she wiped her mouth and attempted to tell them to clear out of the clinic. "I can't rest with all of you here and we're not how it's spreading, if it's contagious or not. I'll be fine."

Bellamy saw an opening and said, "Yes, all of you clear out. I need to ask Clarke a few questions about what might be causing this."

Finn lingered as Wells, Monty, and Jasper made for the door. He pushed a lock of hair away as he assured Clarke, "Don't worry, Princess. We'll figure this mystery out in no time. Promise. Just call me Sherlock."

She grinned and let out a weak laugh at his antics. "Thanks, Finn." As she wiped the sweat from her face and tried to have faith her friends wouldn't let her down, she didn't miss the look of pure rage on Bellamy's face as Finn passed him on his way to the door.

Octavia was the last to head out, her usual cheeriness having returned once Clarke seemed to be okay, at least for the time being. Before she reached the door, she punched her brother lightly on the shoulder and said under breath so only he could hear, "Ask her all the questions you want, Bellamy. Just remember, she could be contagious." She smirked at his uncharacteristic speechlessness and skipped away to join Finn and the others.

Bellamy looked back to Clarke and asked her quickly before she could change the subject, "Why did you stop me from telling them about us?" He motioned from her to him and back, "Are you ashamed of this now?"

Suddenly exhausted and exasperated, Clarke jumped down form the table over Bellamy's mumbled protests. She stood in front of him, looking up at his face as she spoke.

"No, Bellamy. I'm not. But can't you ask me before you tell the whole camp?" She repeated the motion he had made a few moments ago. "Can't this be just ours for a little while?"

She could tell he wanted to believe her, but doubt clouded his eyes and pulled the edges of his mouth down in a deep frown.

"Whatever you say, Princess. But you can't hide or run from it forever. And you certainly won't be hiding it from Sherlock out there."

"Who's hiding? Who's running? And what does Finn have to do with this?" She threw her arms up in frustration, a move that made her feel even more lightheaded. Nausea settled in deeper, but she refused to show him how badly she felt.

Bellamy couldn't help the snarl that took hold of his face, not noticing how white she looked. "Finn wants you, Clarke. If you don't let him know where he stands, this won't end well. For any of us."

She bristled at his tone and imperiousness. "Is that a threat? Perhaps we should start calling you Chancellor Blake? You're so good at enforcing ultimatums."

His anger rose as he shoulders fell. He didn't understand how they always ended up arguing. He could tell now she was feeling worse and could only hope she didn't pass out again. His heart had nearly come out of his chest when she'd fallen limp in his arms earlier.

"What exactly do you want from me, Clarke? This is who I am. A lost cause. You can take it or leave it, but if you do leave, don't think you're going to parade around the camp with Sherlock."

She chose to ignore his lost cause comment. He was a genuinely good person, but with genuine flaws. An ever-growing hunger for power, a slight ruthlessness, and a raging jealousy that she couldn't deny made something she couldn't quite name stir within her.

"You're not the only one good at threatening people, Bellamy. I don't want Finn, but if you push me into a corner, you're not going to like it."

Now he threw up his arms in frustration, making him seem taller than he already was. "You don't want Finn. But you don't want to tell people about us either. I'll ask you one more time. What _do_ you want?"

She struggled to answer him, sagging from the symptoms of the illness that were settling in far too quickly. "I just want…I just want you. You and me. And I want the Ark to be safe. And the Earth to be a safe place. I want those of us that are left to feel better and make a place here so that others can come down here, too. Wanting all of that is exhausting." She shrugged with the tiredness of it all, the physical and the emotional, and he reached out to her.

Pulling her to him, he rested his chin on the top of her head and spoke. "We want a lot of different things. But know that I want you. You and me. And I want it known by the hundred, by the grounders, the Ark, and anyone else who cares to listen, or doesn't for that matter."

She looked up at him and saw the passion in his eyes mixed with that little bit of hurt at her reticence of telling people about them.

"Then it'll be known, okay? You can have your way this time. But eventually you're going to have to realize I don't like being pushed into corners. And I get a say, too, dammit." She ended with a playful pout he had never seen on her before. He laughed boldly at the expression.

"Of course."

He picked her up and swung her around into the kiss he'd been missing for days, holding her again with a fierce gentleness that continued to take her breath away.

She pushed against him, not wanting to kiss until they knew how this illness spread. He resisted before setting her down, still holding her body against his in a tight grip.

"We shouldn't…not until we know if you could get sick, too."

He looked down at her in his arms and warmed at her concern for him. "Don't be ridiculous, I haven't been able to touch you in weeks. It'd take a grounder's spear through the chest to keep my hands off of you right now."

She knew arguing with him was pointless so she stood in his arms until he spoke again.

"But you should rest as much as possible."

She felt strangely shy as she asked him, her words muffled against his chest, "Will you stay with me?"

He leaned down, his lips touching the crown of her head as he smiled, "Always, Angel. Always."


	5. Chapter 5

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: As usual, thank you so much for your kind words and continued reading. For clarification: Wells isn't dead, Charlotte isn't murderous and Clarke/Finn haven't been together. Slight AU, I know. Hope you enjoy! :)

Chapter 5:

The next day Bellamy decided to tell Octavia about he and Clarke before sharing the news with the rest of the camp. Clarke was feeling somewhat better but they could tell she wasn't her usual strong, full-steam-ahead self. He knew his sister thought of Clarke as a friend and as the only family he had left, he hoped she would be happy for him, especially after what happened with Atom.

"Octavia, can we talk?"

She smiled at the serious look on his face, "Sure, big brother. What's up?"

He marveled at her ability to be happy amid sick people and the chaos that was life on Earth. That ability to find joy in the darkest times must have come from hiding in the floor for years. It certainly wasn't a shared genetic trait.

He hesitated before he spit it out, "I…I wanted to tell you…Clarke and I are together."

She couldn't keep from letting out a full, gut-shaking laugh. "You say that like it's news to me, Bellamy. I know you better than anyone else, crazy. I probably knew you liked her before you did."

He tried not to grin, but wasn't able to stop it from spreading into a full smile.

"Well, are you okay with it?"

"Bellamy, you're as dumb as a box of rocks. Why wouldn't I be okay? Clarke can be overbearing, but she's a great person. She saved my leg, saved Jasper's life, and is apparently very talented at driving you insane. Annoying you was the surest way for me to like her, Broseph."

He chuckled at her last comment and swung his arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug. He felt more than a little relieved. Octavia hadn't always been the biggest fan of his girlfriends on the Ark. It spoke highly of Clarke that she'd found her way into Octavia's good graces.

"Besides, B, she's better than a lot of girls you dated in Arkville. What was that last one's name? The girl who was sleeping with half of Agro while asking you for a 'promise ring?'" She made a quotation gesture when she said promise ring with a tone that Bellamy could only describe as pure disgust. "Heidi?"

"Helena." Bellamy shuddered at the thought of his poor judgment in asking the girl out in the first place. Unfortunately, he'd made more than a few bad choices when it came to the past, not just where women were concerned. Thankfully, the ground was a fresh start. He could see himself making a life here. With Clarke. He didn't have long to ponder before Octavia was pulling him back towards camp, saying she wanted to check on Jasper.

She stopped him before they stepped back inside the fence.

"Bellamy, one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Clarke's a good person and you deserve that, really. But…don't mess it up with your bullshit."

The words stung. "My 'bullshit?' What the hell, Octavia?"

"You know what I mean. Just be honest with her. Don't let your pride or your stubbornness or _your past _ruin a good thing." For good measure, she decided to kick him in the shin and yell, "Just be good to her, idiot," before she jogged back into camp.

She was out of earshot before he whispered, "God help me, I'm really going to try."

Clarke was tending to the ill when he found her. He stayed back for a few moments just watching her work, seeing her natural skill at helping people. She was a wonder to him, with her sympathy and true concern for other people's pain. He didn't always understand her commitment to helping others, but he was always in admiration of her because of it.

Before he could approach her to tell her he had spoken with Octavia, Finn was by her side, making her laugh. Bellamy wasn't planning on making a grand announcement to the camp about he and Clarke's relationship, but maybe Sherlock was the one who should be told next. Privately. Bellamy wasn't sure if he could keep from telling him with punches to the face rather than words. What he wouldn't give to wipe that smirk off Finn's face as he made Clarke laugh at something he said. That was about enough of that.

Bellamy approached slowly and placing his hand on the small of Clarke's back, kissed her temple tenderly. "Hello, Angel. Finn. How's it looking with the sick ones? Have any gotten better?"

The look of shock on Finn's face almost made Bellamy lose his composure, but he was quickly sobered when he turned to face Clarke and saw the anger lurking there. Sometimes, he didn't think he could ever win with her. He couldn't figure her out. She said she wanted to be with him, but seemed angry whenever she actually was. It was enough to drive a man crazy with wondering what was okay and what wasn't.

Finn stuttered as he tried to grasp the situation. "Hi-hi, Bellamy. I was just trying to take Clarke's mind off of everything with a good grounders joke. Would you like to hear it?"

"I'm good, thanks. I would like to talk to Clarke, though." Bellamy added, "Alone," before Clarke could stop him. Finn looked between the two of them, confused and slightly amused at the turn of events.

"Whatever you say, Boss. I'll talk to you later, Clarke."

As Finn walked quickly away, Bellamy looked back to see Clarke nearly red from fury. "What the hell is your problem, Bellamy?"

He pulled her to the edge of the camp clearing, not wanting everyone else to overhear what was sure to be yet another argument. "My problem is that you seem to want to have your cake and eat it, too. You want to sleep in my arms all night and then forget about it in the morning. Finn wants you and I want you. You seem to be the one having a problem figuring which of us strikes your fancy on any given day."

"Well, I certainly don't want to be pawed at in the middle of camp. I told you I just wanted to enjoy us; that we could tell people, not shove it in their faces."

"So you do want to hide it. Why? And there are plenty of girls who would love to be pawed by me in this camp, Princess. Say the word and I'm gone." He could hear his pride ruining a good thing, doing exactly what Octavia told him not to do. He couldn't stop himself though.

Clarke looked up at him with a sarcastic smirk that he didn't enjoy seeing. "So that's how it works with the great Bellamy Blake? You follow exactly what he says and wants or you're history, no questions asked, see ya later. Well, I'm glad to know that now. Bye."

He gently but quickly grabbed her arm before she got too far after she began walking away. "Why can't you just tell Finn to back off?"

"Finn is my friend, Bellamy. He's going to stay my friend. If you can't deal with that, it's your problem, not mine. Now I have to get back to work. Let me know when you're planning to be affectionate because you actually want to be."

"What are you talking about? You should know by now I can hardly keep my hands off of you."

"That back there was not lust and definitely not love. You may as well have been marking your territory the same way a dog does. Don't worry, Finn got the message loud and clear, you big oaf."

He didn't try to stop her when she walked away for the second time. He'd messed up. Again. He hadn't even gotten a chance to ask her how she felt physically. He'd have to make it up to her somehow. Dammit, why did Octavia always have to be right?


	6. Chapter 6

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note:

Chapter 6

Clarke spent the rest of the day fuming and mumbling to herself about Bellamy's antics. Several of her patients looked at her like she was crazy, but she couldn't stop thinking about the things they had said to each other. What was it always a fight for them to understand each other? She'd never had a boyfriend before, was this how normal teenage relationships worked? How did anyone ever get married and start a family if it was always this difficult?

She used her frustrations with Bellamy to distract her from her deteriorating health. She hadn't said anything to anyone, but she could barely keep food and water down now. She wasn't sure how the "investigation" into the cause of the sickness was going but she knew she needed her friends to hurry. She hated to admit how sick she was, even to herself, but she wasn't going to be able to keep taking care of the ill for much longer. They had to do something soon.

She was walking back to the drop ship from the sick tent that evening when she ran into Octavia.

"Hey, Clarke, how are you feeling?"

Shrugging and trying to appear nonchalant, Clarke told her, "I'm alright. No worse for wear than usual." She wasn't sure if Octavia knew about the argument with Bellamy, but she didn't really want to find out, knowing she would be fiercely loyal to her brother and rightfully so.

"That's good. Listen, I heard about the argument you and Bellamy had and I—"

"Octavia, don't worry about it. I know he's your brother. I appreciate your friendship, but I don't expect you to be nice to me until things blow over."

"Wait, first of all, what do you mean by blow over? And I know he's my brother. Which also means I know exactly how much of an ass he can really be."

Clarke couldn't help but laugh a little bit at Octavia's candor. She knew her brother well and understood what it was like to care about him, even when he wasn't being particularly likable. "I just mean, I don't think Bellamy and I are done arguing yet. I know we both said some things we regret, but I don't think we're over. I just don't know how long it will take for us both to figure out how to trust each other."

"Oh, it's never gonna be over, girl. I've never seen Bellamy care about someone as much as he cares about you. Except for me, of course. He's different with you. Calmer. You'll learn how to be around each other without biting each other's heads off. Eventually."

Clarke looked up at her, hopeful she was right. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely. Our parents were the same way actually. They would bicker constantly. Most of the time it was playful. Others, not so much. But they loved each other like nothing you've ever seen."

"I just don't want to us to bring out the worst in each other, Octavia."

Octavia gently touched Clarke's arm, not quite familiar enough to hug her. "Clarke, one day, very soon actually, you'll see just how you bring out the absolute best in my brother. And he can do that for you, too. When he loves, he loves with everything he has."

"You think he loves me?"

"Oh, definitely. He just doesn't know how to deal with it yet. But believe me, once he says it, he won't ever stop."

Clarke smiled, imagining the tough-skinned and gravelly-voiced Bellamy proclaiming his love for her. "I don't think I'll ever want him to."

Clarke walked into the clinic in the drop ship and she gasped at the sight in front of her. Bellamy had recruited Octavia and Jasper (a hopeless romantic if there ever was one) to help him in his attempt to get Clarke to forgive him. He was never going to just walk away from what they had, no matter how many empty threats or ultimatums he made. She needed to know that. And he just needed to know where they stood. Once and for all.

"Bellamy, wh-what is all this?" She kept looking around her and blinking, thinking she must be imagining the room and the man standing inside it, looking quite apologetic if she did say so herself.

"I found some emergency candles and cut them up into smaller ones. The camp won't miss them too much, I swear. Octavia and Jasper helped me catch some of the butterflies. We didn't hurt them and they can fly out just fine." He looked hesitant; she could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"And the flowers?" There were flowers of all kinds and colors covering everything that didn't have a candle on it. The whole room had a dizzying, other-worldly feel to it and it had nothing to do with her sickness.

"I picked them."

She stopped looking around to face him where he stood with his hands lightly clasped behind his back. "You picked all of these yourself?" It must have taken him hours to get this many flowers and arrange them.

"Yes. Do you like it?" His head dipped down as he waited for a barrage of how wasteful it all was, how she was still angry for his display with Finn.

"I-I love it. But why did you do all this?" She couldn't believe someone as seemingly surly as Bellamy Blake could have thought of all this in a place where nothing and no one could hope to be romantic.

"I wanted to make up for how I acted earlier. I was trying to mark my territory, but not in the way you took it. I want Finn—and you—to know that I'm here. I'm not going away."

It was her turn to look down as she struggled with a sudden feeling of insecurity about his feelings for her. "You said there were plenty of girls who would want you. Why aren't you doing this for them?"

He quickly made his way across the room to cup his hands around her face. "I don't want them! I just want this. With you. And I need to know that you want it, too. Whole-heartedly."

She knew he was asking her a question. This was a turning point. He needed assurance from her that he was enough, that she wouldn't look for completion with anyone else.

She brought her hands up to his face and placed one on the nape of his neck. She pulled him down to kiss her. When they pulled apart, she looked up into his dark eyes and focused on them as she spoke.

"All my life, I've tried to do what's right, Bellamy. I've been an obedient daughter, a model student, a good friend. When my father was killed for trying to do what was right, I lost any naïve notions of life on the Ark being a salvation for the people there. Then I found out my mother had a hand in my father's death and I didn't want to accept it. It wasn't right, it couldn't be. Even after all my years of being the good little 'princess' that I was supposed to be, I ended up in prison. I was sent here because the Ark is failing and we're their only hope. You took over and contradicted everything I've ever been taught. You don't worry about always doing the right thing and that scares me to death. It's all I've ever known. Nothing on Earth is easy. And I don't think what we have is ever going to be easy. We're too different."

She felt his shoulders sag as she continued and she could tell he was preparing himself for a rejection. She wasn't finished yet though.

"What I'm saying is, it probably won't ever be easy between us. But it's right. Of everything we've been through since we landed here, Bellamy, you are the only thing that feels right to me. I look at you and believe there actually could be a future here. You're strong, stubborn and crazy, sometimes, yes, but you're the strongest person I know. And I know you're going to work the hardest to make sure things work down here. Maybe not because you want the people of the Ark to join us, but because you care about your friends, and Octavia…and me. I know that you care about me, even when you're saying mean things and acting like a Neanderthal around Finn. Finn is a great friend. But he's not the right one for me. Only you are."

She stopped when she saw the biggest smile she'd ever seen spread across his face. There was an amazing light in his eyes that made her stop short.

He cocked his head to one side and smirked. "So I'm your one and only then, Angel?"

She chuckled and gasped as he picked her up in his arms. "Yes, Bellamy. Though maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Now you'll be so full of yourself I won't be able to stand it."

His smile grew and he said, "Oh, you'll stand it. You don't have a choice, sweetheart."

She hugged him tighter and whispered, "Don't I know it."


	7. Chapter 7

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: I forgot the author's note on the last chapter, whoops. I was going to say, thank you again for all your feedback. I'm really enjoying writing this story and hope you're enjoying it as well. I'm also going to be wrapping it up in the next few chapters. I don't want to keep them going back and forth too long. It makes for good television and good reading, but I want to give it a good ending. And I apologize for the shortness of the next few chapters. Hope you enjoy, read on!

Chapter 7

Bellamy was working on making a new weapon when Finn unexpectedly approached him on a sunny morning several days later.

Foregoing any pleasantries, Finn got right to business. "We may have found something out about the cause of the sickness."

Bellamy looked at the younger man in anticipation. "Well, what is it?"

Finn glanced around furtively. "We can't talk about it here. I'll meet you at the southeast edge of the fence and we can leave camp at dusk." Bellamy could see how serious the usually carefree jokester was about keeping this quiet.

"Fine, can you tell me anything now, Sherlock?" Finn could hear the contempt mixed with sarcasm and doubt in Bellamy's voice. There was also fear there. He knew Bellamy was worried about Clarke, who was getting weaker and more listless by the day, if not the hour.

Finn dropped his voice to a cautious whisper. "I think I know what's causing the illness. Actually, _who's_ causing it. And you're not going to like it." With that, Finn walked away quickly leaving Bellamy confused and troubled, a horrible combination for a naturally restless hothead.

Just as quickly as Finn disappeared, a young woman with blonde-streaked dark hair approached Bellamy. He vaguely recognized her, but couldn't place the girl or the strange glint in her lemon-lime colored eyes. She watched him in a way that unsettled the usually fearless leader.

"Can I help you with something?" Bellamy wasn't in the mood for whatever this stranger was up to.

"Oh, come on, Bellamy, you don't remember me?" She continued at his clueless expression, "Nadia? Helena's friend? We all had some pretty crazy nights back on the Ark, didn't we?" She leered at him and he felt a wave of disgust roll through him as he remembered the two girls with high expectations and incredibly low standards.

"Yeah, uh, hi."

She laughed a brittle cackle and reached up to stroke his arm. "That's all you can say is hi? Helena always said you were the strong and silent type. Now that we're here and she's up there, we'll just have to get reacquainted, won't we?" She brought her fingertips down his arm to grasp his hand in hers.

He quickly shook her hand away and looked around to make sure no one had seen her pet him in such an intimate fashion. "Nadia, I'm actually with someone now. I'm not interested in getting 'reacquainted.'"

She laughed again and suddenly reached up to hug him. Frozen, Bellamy felt her hot breath on his ear as she whispered, "Oh, you will be." Then she quickly turned to slink away, turning back to smirk at him as she did.

Bellamy shuddered at the feel of her hands on him and glanced around once more to make sure no one was paying attention to Nadia's wanton display before he returned to his work.

He missed Clarke standing at the edge of the clearing, shell-shocked at what she had just seen.

That night, Bellamy met up with Finn as arranged and the two men walked in silence until they were far enough away from the camp for Finn's liking.

Bellamy was impatient to know whatever Finn had to tell him. Clarke had passed out again just that morning after they had woken up in the drop ship clinic where they both slept now. "What's the deal, Sherlock? What's going on?"

Finn chose to ignore the condescension in the taller man's tone. "We think we know what's making everyone sick. Someone's poisoning the water after it's been purified. They're doing it in small enough doses that it's not killing anyone quickly. They're dragging it out. Almost to make everyone suffer it seems."

"But why? How is it being done without anyone seeing anything?"

"They're smart. And sneaky. They only dose some of the water every few days. That way, the people who get sick are random and those who are already sick seem to get better and then worse again."

"How did you find this out?" Bellamy felt completely flabbergasted. Why would anyone choose to poison the entire camp? No one could survive alone down here.

"Clarke, actually. She always drinks only water she's purified herself. But we realized someone's been switching it out while she's working. We never would have figured out who it was if they hadn't specifically targeted Clarke in addition to poisoning the rest of the camp."

Bellamy felt the rage building in his chest. In that moment, he felt like he could kill anyone if he thought they would hurt Clarke. "Who is it?"

"We can't be totally sure, just a process of elimination. We haven't actually seen anyone putting anything in the water. We just know who was near the water supply when. We don't know exactly—"

Bellamy resisted the urge to grab Finn by the throat, keeping his hands in tightly clenched fists by his sides. "Who. Is. It."

Finn managed not to stutter as he surely signed another man's death certificate.

"It's Murphy."


	8. Chapter 8

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: I know these last ones have been super short chapters (especially this one), but I promise the next chapter will make up for it. Just a few more left. Thank you again for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! I'm already thinking of possibly writing another Bellarke story, probably a bit darker and trying to go in a different direction. Let me know if that's something you would be interested in reading. There's going to be one chapter after this (the season finale, if you will) and then maybe an epilogue. Read on! :)

Chapter 8

Bellamy stalked quickly back to camp, seething and furious. He knew Murphy wasn't a great guy, but pure psychopath? He'd had no idea just how much hate Murphy had simmering inside him. How did he miss it?

Before he could think about what weapon he was going to use to tear John Murphy limb from limb, Octavia raced towards him as he neared the drop ship. The look of fear on her face almost stopped him cold.

"Bellamy, you've been gone for hours!"

"Octavia, what happened? I haven't been gone that long."

When she hesitated, he nearly shook her like a rag doll. "Octavia!"

"It's Clarke." She looked down, suddenly not able to bear looking at him. "She-she's gotten worse, B. A lot worse. All of a sudden."

Bellamy froze. In his mind, he kept thinking he should move his feet and rush to her. But his heart wasn't' beating and he couldn't propel himself forward for several, seemingly never-ending moments.

"How bad?"

Octavia's eyes filled with tears at the heartbreak in her brother's voice, the sound of it low and desperate. "She passed out again after you and Finn left. When she woke up, she started throwing up blood so hard her nose bled, too."

Bellamy struggled to maintain his composure as his sister described the gruesome scene. He hadn't been there for Clarke, but at least Octavia and the others had been.

"Where is she now?"

"She's sleeping in the clinic. Bellamy, there's something else."

He grimaced and laughed hopelessly, "What else could there be?"

Octavia started wringing her hands, trying to make sense of it before she told him and still coming up empty-handed. "She doesn't want to see you."

Bellamy wouldn't have felt more taken aback if she had physically struck him. A kick to the chest. "What?"

"Before she fell asleep, she started mumbling. I told her you would be back soon and that it would all be okay. B, she looked right at me, grabbed my hand and said, 'I never want to see your brother again. Please, just keep him away.' What the hell is that about, Bellamy?"

He was floored. "I have no idea. But you can bet your ass I'm about to find out." He started walking toward the drop ship and she rushed to stop him.

"Bellamy, whatever it is, you've got to give her some time to rest. Tonight, at least. She needs to sleep. And if you talked to Finn, you know we have other things to deal with right now before anyone else gets sick."

Bellamy looked at his hands, feeling helpless and overwhelmed with too many emotions. Anger, confusion, relief at knowing the cause of the illness, dread for the decisions to be made, and fear at not knowing whether it was too late for Clarke to recover.

He looked at Octavia with tears in his eyes. "She sleeps best when I'm there," he whispered softly. Octavia rushed to hug him, assuring him everything would work out. "I know she does. But let's handle one thing at a time. We have an attempted murderer to deal with right now."


	9. Chapter 9

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: I want to thank you all for reviewing/favoriting/following once again, it's been so nice to be writing again. Like I've said before, I've really enjoyed writing this story and this is a great couple to write about. Even with the series just starting, there's a lot of chemistry there. This is the last official chapter of this story and I'm glad it's been so well-received and you've kept reading it. I still have the epilogue to post, though it probably won't be terribly long. I hope you enjoy how I've chosen to end it. :)

Chapter 9

Murphy ran like the coward he was. Gone like a puff of smoke on the breeze.

Bellamy woke the entire camp in the middle of the night to deal with the gutless waste of space. He wasn't sure what they would decide, but he was prepared to kill him with his bare hands if he had to. He'd been spared that pleasure when they searched the camp high and low and couldn't find him. Bellamy and Finn had questioned Murphy's cronies for hours and they all seemed to have had no idea about the poisoning or where their "fearless" leader had run to. After much deliberation and a surprisingly calm and democratic discussion, the camp had decided to let him go, not expecting him to last long on his own. Anyone that saw any sign of him was to tell the rest of the camp and they were all on watch for him should he ever be stupid enough to approach any of the hundred again.

Bellamy was exhausted by the time he started back towards the drop ship clinic to finally check on Clarke. He still wasn't sure what the reunion would entail but he had a feeling Clarke wasn't hallucinating when she had told Octavia to keep him away from her. His shoulders sagged from the long night's toll and the fight that was sure to follow it.

When he entered the clinic, Clarke was blessedly still sleeping. He approached her and pulled a chair to the side of her cot, trying desperately not to wake her. Sitting quietly for several minutes, he hesitantly took her hand in both of his and did something he'd never done before. He prayed.

_Dear God_, he thought,_ please let her be okay. Let her recover, let the others recover. Please let her recover. Let us be happy. Let her recover…_

Clarke came to slowly, gradually realizing she wasn't alone. She wished it had all been a dream, but when she realized it was all too real, she hoped it wasn't him next to her. She didn't want to deal with everything he entailed and she was disappointed when she opened her eyes to see his head bowed as he grasped her hand. She decided to rip the Band-Aid off quickly and roughly took her hand from his.

He looked up and smiled broadly, "You're awake. How are you feeling? Are you-?"

He stopped short when she rose quickly and began to shakily walk away from him. "Leave me the hell alone, Bellamy."

He gently grabbed her arm before she could leave the clinic.

"What the hell is your problem, Griffin? You need to get your ass back in bed and let me take care of you."

Clarke laughed hatefully in his face and jerked her arm from his grasp, slightly swaying, from the illness or her anger, he couldn't tell. "Ha! That'll never happen. And my problem? My problem! You're so messed up, Bellamy Blake. Again, stay the hell away from me."

She turned to walk away from him once more, but he planted himself in front of her no matter which way she turned. "Seriously, Clarke. What is going on?"

She put her hands on his chest and pushed, just wanting to knock him over, to do something to make him feel as awful as she did, physically and emotionally. He barely moved from her efforts which made her even angrier.

"You wanna know what's going on? I'll tell you. I poured my heart out to you. I told you how much you meant to me, how much I cared. I wanted to make you feel completely secure in how much I cared. And I laid in your arms and told you things I've never told anyone. You made me trust you, Bellamy Blake. And I hate you for it." She choked on the last sentence as she was overcome with tears. She felt so stupid for believing all his sweet words and whispered assurances.

Bellamy couldn't have been more shocked and confused than if she had hit him over the head with a log unprovoked. "What are you talking about?"

She laughed again, with such malice and bitterness. Bellamy was starting to hate that laugh, it wasn't right. It wasn't Clarke. "You're really going to play dumb right now? Don't I deserve just a little bit of honesty from you? It would be such a different look on you."

"Clarke. I'm not going to ask you again. Tell me what you _think_ is going on."

"I don't _think_ anything, Bellamy. I _saw_ you. I saw you with her, for God's sake."

Bellamy felt like she was speaking a foreign language through a straw. He had no idea what she was talking about. "Who? Who is she?"

"The girl! I asked someone who she was. Nadia, they said. They said you knew her on the Ark. Apparently, you don't want to leave everyone on the Ark behind, do you?"

"Nadia? Clarke, I don't know what you think you saw or who told you all that, but—."

"Stop it, just stop. Stop lying to me. I saw you hug her. I heard her talking about you after you left to meet Finn last night. She said that you dated on the Ark and that you were only 'killing time' with me so I would help the camp and heal those in need. Funny, you didn't have to pretend to care about me for me to help people."

He grabbed her shoulders and resisted the urge to shake some sense into her. "I never pretended to care about you. Nadia is the friend of an ex-girlfriend, Helena. I never dated Nadia and didn't date Helena for that long. Nadia lied to everyone, Clarke. She said awful things about me. And you believed her. You don't believe me now, I can see it in your face." He released her like she'd burned him. "If you won't take my word for it, ask Octavia. She'll tell you all about Helena and Nadia's antics on the Ark."

Clark stared at him in silence for so long he thought she may have started thinking up ways to kill him without anyone knowing about it. "What?"

Bellamy couldn't believe that's all she could say. "You heard me. How could you believe that bullshit?"

She looked away, not able to bear the betrayal in his eyes. She was starting to realize her mistake, but the wound of what she thought he had done was still raw. "How could I? Bellamy, I told you everything you needed to hear. You call me 'Angel' and say you want to shout to the mountaintops that we're together, but you only seemed to want to actually say anything to Octavia and maybe Finn. And then I see you hug some girl who seems to know a lot about you and your past, which you've never really talked about with me. What was I supposed to think?"

"I didn't hug her, she hugged me. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to think about how much of an idiot I was with Helena, how I tried to make myself care about her. Nadia opened up a lot of old wounds just by talking to me. Helena cheated on me the entire time we were dating and I turned a blind eye. I didn't love her, but it still hurt that she could do that to me and not be sorry about it. She made a fool of me."

"Well, you made a fool of me in front of this entire camp."

Bellamy could barely bite out the words to respond to her. "Come again?"

"Everyone could tell something was going on between us even though we weren't saying anything to them and they all saw you hugging Nadia. You think I'm the only one who heard her tell her lies? No. Everyone did. Three different people came up to me yesterday asking me why I would be with you. Do you have any idea how stupid I felt?"

"I'm sorry this happened, but I didn't do anything wrong, Clarke. I swear to you. I won't ever intentionally hurt you."

She looked up at him, tears brimming once again. "No, Bellamy. You won't. Because it's over. This, us, it's all over. Maybe we should do ourselves and everyone else a favor and spare us all the inevitable blowup down the road. Let's quit while we're not ahead." She tried to walk away, but the low growl of his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I love you. More than you'll ever know." He couldn't accept that she was going to walk away so effortlessly. He hadn't said it to her before, but he knew she needed to hear it now more than ever. Maybe those both did.

She turned back to him, her face wet from tears streaming down it. He felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach, the sight of her so distraught wasn't one he was prepared for.

"Is that enough, Bellamy? Is it enough to get through this? I hate this feeling."

He reached out and drew her to him, wiping her tears away with his thumbs and holding her face in his hands. "I hate you feeling this way. But I can't let you go." She shook her head, not knowing what was left to say. He had plenty left to say though.

Bellamy did something he thought he'd never do for anybody, let alone a girl. He fell to his knees and took both of her hands in his. "I don't know if I'll ever be what you want me to be, Clarke. I don't know if I'll ever be enough."

"You are enough, Bellamy, I know you could be. I just don't think it's supposed to be this hard. I—"

"I know. I know it's hard. I know that I am not an easy person to love. But, darling, sometimes you aren't either. And I do, Clarke. I love you. There's not a lot on this Earth that I need. But I need you. I need you more than air and water and food. I want you more than safety and power and the allegiance of the people in this camp. Even in this, the most uncertain of places and times, you are the truest thing I've ever known. You are…everything."

She looked down at the gorgeous man kneeling before her and struggled to take in all he was saying. She still wasn't feeling well, but it was his words that made her feel lightheaded. He'd told her he loved her. There were two options. They could decide to stay together and make it work no matter what. Or they could go their separate ways, struggle to move on while remaining in the same camp, but give each other the respect and space they both deserved.

For better or worse, she couldn't imagine a life without him in it. She knew no other arms would feel as safe. No other face would look as good to wake up to each morning. And no other heart would feel as if each beat of it were in sync with her own.

She pulled him to his feet and standing on her tip-toes, pressed her lips to his.

"I love you, too."


	10. Chapter 10: Epilogue

Lost Causes, Angels, and Redemption

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: Thank you all for your kind words, enjoying this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it and showing that enjoyment in reviewing, favoriting, and following. I really appreciate it. This is it, I know it's short, but I wanted to keep it that way: short, simple, and sweet. I hope you like it! :) I also have two different ideas for another story, one where Clarke and Bellamy knew each other on the Ark and one where everything is much darker and Bellamy is possibly not very likable, at least in the beginning. Which story would you rather see? Let me know and thanks again!

Chapter 10: Epilogue

They came across Murphy's body years later. They weren't quite sure how he managed to survive so long by himself, but they had never seen him around camp again and assumed the grounders or starvation had gotten him within a matter of months. They brought his body back to the camp at Clarke's behest. She said even though he had hurt them all in bringing the sickness, he should be buried with the other fallen members of the hundred. In many ways, they had all been victims of a bad situation created and encouraged by the Ark. Murphy was nowhere near a good person, but Clarke knew that he had respected his sentence and stayed away from camp.

Clarke and Bellamy were the only ones to push for any kind of ceremony, maybe just to put it all to rest. In the end, after the others had filled in the grave and left, it was just the two of them standing there.

"Angel, can I ask you a question?"

She smiled softly at the much-used nickname. "Yes, my only?"

"Are you glad he ran away or would you rather have seen him face his justice?"

"I can't say I was glad, but I'm happy that we didn't have to serve him his justice. I never would have wanted someone I care about to be responsible for his death."

He realized she was talking about him. He would have given the order for Murphy's death in a heartbeat if that's what Clarke had wanted. She had saved him from having to kill Atom and she probably would have tried to save him from killing Murphy if he hadn't run.

He placed his hands on her hips to draw her closer to him and look at her as she studied the horizon beyond them.

"You are an amazing woman, Clarke Blake."

She chuckled, as he slightly tickled her. "That's not officially my name, Bellamy. We're not actually married."

He scoffed at her words, "We may as well be. You are the only wife I ever want or need."

She cheekily responded, "The feeling's mutual, I guess."

He tickled her more and teased her, saying, "You guess?" until he felt the barely discernible swell in her abdomen he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before.

"Um, Clarke?" He knelt down to feel her stomach once more and looked up to see her eyes filling quickly with tears. Happy tears.

"I was waiting to tell you until I was sure. I wanted to be as far into the first trimester as I could be before I got our hopes up. Pregnancies are so hard on Earth, you know."

He smiled at her clinical assessment of her condition and reaching up, wiped away her tears, relieved she was happy to be carrying his child.

"Oh, Angel. You make me happy beyond belief." He looked up at the woman before him and couldn't believe the amount of love in his heart, his soul, his very being. All for her.

Clarke smiled at his words and bit her lip before continuing. "I thought we might name him Atom."

Bellamy rose to his full height and pulled her up and into his arms. When he felt moisture in his own eyes, he realized he'd been right from the very beginning.

_All a lost cause needs for redemption is an angel._

The End


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